The Sick List, Near Philadelphia
After a summer that was consumed by more kinds of medical testing than most of us have ever heard of, it turned out that my big-hearted husband was also a sick-hearted husband. And something needed to be done. Surgery, it turned out, wasn't an option ; it was required. We were told that of patients with Joe's condition, if they didn't have the operation, fifty percent would be dead within a year. We quickly signed on the dotted line. Thursday was the day. Our report time was 5:30 a.m. for surgery scheduled at 7:00. So we set the alarm for 4:45 but both of us were awake well before that. "We ride at before dawn" came to mind as I drove all the way to the hospital without seeing another car. It turned out that 7:00 amounted to a nice idea and Joe was finally taken back to the OR at 7:45. I went down to the cafeteria for a light breakfast and on my way out of the cafeteria I literally bumped into the woman who had been my supervisor when I worked at the hospital. I...
